Match

England went down to a 15-run defeat against West Indies at the World Twenty20

Last Updated: 28/09/12 4:27pm

Johnson Charles and Chris Gayle: shared 103-run stand for West Indies' first wicket

Eoin Morgan: England batsman's 71 off 36 balls was in vain

Defending champions England suffered their second defeat in a row at the World Twenty20, going down by 15 runs to West Indies in their opening Super Eights fixture.

Four days after being bowled out for 80 against India, England's batsmen mustered 164-4 chasing a target of 180 in Pallekele.

Stuart Broad's men had failed to take a wicket until the 11th over as Johnson Charles and Chris Gayle slammed half-centuries in an opening stand of 103 after West Indies opted to bat.

Gayle hit six fours and four sixes in his 35-ball 58 before Graeme Swann (1-32) finally made the breakthrough, Steven Finn at long-on taking the catch on the boundary straight after dropping a similar chance off Charles.

Charles, whose 84 came from 56 deliveries and featured 10 fours and three sixes, continued until the 18th over when Jade Dernbach (1-38) denied him the chance of a century, West Indies finishing on 179-5.

Needing to produce their record T20 international run chase, England lost Craig Kieswetter and Luke Wright for ducks to successive deliveries in Ravi Rampaul's opening over.

Alex Hales (68) and Eoin Morgan (71no) ensured there was no repeat of the collapse against India, gradually increasing the tempo during a century stand from 52 balls.

But the required-rate had spiralled early on and England left themselves too much to do in the closing overs despite the fourth-wicket pair's best efforts.

Morgan, who had missed a chance to dismiss Gayle on 29 when wrong-footed under the floodlights, kept the run chase alive right until near the end.

The Dublin-born left-hander dispatched five sixes in his 36-ball contribution and a boundary off the opening ball of spinner Marlon Samuels' final over reduced England's equation to 19 off five deliveries.

But he only managed a single from the next two balls and then Hales was stumped to effectively seal the result.

England's next match is against New Zealand at the same venue on Saturday.